Ornamental structure



D 1 c. c. BOLYARD ORNAMENTAL STRUCTURE Filed July 20', 1956 INVENTOR.

atented Dec. 28, 1937 PATENT OFFICE ORNAMENTAL STRUCTURE Charles C. Bolyard, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Paper Supply Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a corporation of California Application July 20, 1936, Serial No. 91,559

5 Claims.

This invention relates to ornamental and decorative devices and methods of making them and has to do particularly with the utilization of ornamental tubes or straws which are usually transparent or translucent and may be highly colored. It is well known that these transparent or translucent tubes are very decorative when appropriately grouped either with other straws or with other ornamental materials such as colored Cellophane sheets or forms.

An object of the invention is to provide a new article of manufacture which is easily and inexpensively made and is highly ornamental.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simple, convenient and inexpensive method of combining a pluralityof ornamental tubes and at the same time automatically disposing them in radiating or sprayed relation to each other.

Other more specific objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description which refers to the drawing.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a decoration constructed in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the decoration shown in Fig. 1;

.Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the tubes employed in the decoration of Figs. 1 and 2 as they are positioned prior to the assembly of the tubes to produce the decorative eifect shown;

Fig. 4 is a front view of a modified form of decoration; and

Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are elevation views illustrating the method of combining and positioning the straws employed in the decoration of Fig. 4.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, the decoration therein illustrated comprises a plurality of decorative tubes l tied together adjacent the center with a ribbon 2, the latter being disposed in a bow knot comprising a plurality of decorative loops 3 as shown.

The tubes I are preferably constructed of transparent or translucent straws formed 01' Glassine paper or of Cellophane or other suitable colored material. A desirable type of straw made of Cellophane and known by the trade name of Glassips is particularly effective for this use.

As shown in Figs.l and 2, the straws I are bound tightly together by the knot 2 but the ends of the straws radiate from the point of joinder as a center. This radiation is automatically produced in response to the tightening of the ribbon about the straw. Thus initially the straws l are laid in parallel relation as shown in Fig. 3 and the ribbon 2 looped therearound. knotted and drawn up tight, thereby compressing the Walls of the tubes inwardly within the loop of, the ribbon and causing the ends to separate into the position shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The squeezing of the straws within the knot compresses the walls of the straws to smaller dimensions whereby the straws can all be contained within a very small cross sectional area at the point of constriction. However, since the straws are not deformed at a small distance from the point of constriction, they cannot occupy such a small space and therefore the axes of the straws are separated a greater distance than at the point of constriction. This causes the extreme outer ends of the straws to be spaced apart substantial distances as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The ornament shown in Fig. 4 consists of a stem l0 supporting leaves ll, berries I2 and a plurality of ornamental tubular elements l3 radiating from a common center adjacent the 20 point of conjunction of the stems bearing the leaves II and berries I! with the main stem Ill. The leaves H and berries I! are formed in accordance with well known practice in the decorative art and their construction does not constitute a part of the present invention. Suffice it to say that these elements are provided with a common stem which is placed alongside a common stem for all the radiating elements l3 and the stems bound together with decorative tape or any other suitable material to form a full stem Hi.

In order to form and support the tubes IS, a group of straight tubes are placed in parallel position as shown in Fig. 5 and a wire I4 is passed around the tubes and the ends twisted together as shown in Fig. 6, thereby defining a closed loop 15 which encircles the tubes 13. The ends l6 of the wire M are further twisted to constrict the loop I5, thereby crushing the walls of the tubes I3 and bringing the axes of the tubes in close relation, which causes the ends of the tubes to be sprayed outwardly as shown in Fig. 7. The outer ends of all of the tubes may then be bent upwardly by swinging them as a unit about the point of constriction so that the ends all point upwardly and outwardly as shown in Fig. 4 and the straws are then combined with the leaves II and the berries l2 by laying the twisted portion ll! of the wire ll alongside the stem structure of the leaves and berries and binding the whole together to constitute the stem Ill.

It is to be understood that although the invention has been explained by describing in detall two modifications thereof, many variations in the particular structure shown will occur to those skilled in the art and the invention is therefore to be limited only as set forth in the appended claims. Thus, as an example, instead of combining a group of straws together midway between their ends, the straws may be bound together adjacent one end, thereby producing a structure better adapted for some decorative purposes than where both ends of the straws are utilized.

I claim:

1. As a new article of manufacture, an ornament comprising a plurality of tubular straws, means binding the straws together substantially midway between their ends, said 'means compacting the medial portions of the straws to thereby dispose the straws in radial position about a common center.

2. A process of making ornamental decorations consisting in disposing a plurality of elongated tubular translucent straws longitudinally side by side providing a. bundle, placing an elongated flexible element about the bundle between the ends of the straws, twisting the ends of said element together for forming a loop encircling the bundle, and further twisting the ends of said element for compressing the straws adjacent said loop for causing the ends of said straws to be disposed radially with respect to said loop.

3. The process of making ornamental decorations consisting in arranging a plurality of elongated tubular translucent straws side by side, placing an elongated flexible element about the straws transversely and between the ends thereof, twisting the ends of said element together for providing a loop portion thereofencircling the straws, and further twisting the ends of said element for compressing portions of the straws within said loop and causing the ends of said straws to be radially disposed with respect to said loop.

4. As a new article of manufacture, an ornament comprising a plurality of tubular straws,

means binding the straws together at a point spaced from one end of each of said straws, said means compacting the bound portions of the straws to thereby dispose the straws in radial,

position about a common center.

5. The process of making ornamental decorations consisting in disposing a plurality of elongated tubular translucent straws longitudinally side by side providing a bundle, placing an elongated flexible element about the bundle at a point spaced from one end thereof, and constricting said elongated flexible element about said bundle whereby the straws are compressed adjacent said flexible element and the ends of the straws are disposed radially with respect to the flexible element.

CHARLES C. BOLYARD. 

